How to hire a front of house manager

How to hire a front of house manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step front of house manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a front of house manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new front of house manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a front of house manager do?

Post a front of house manager job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the front of house manager you need to hire. Certain front of house manager roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a front of house manager to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a front of house manager that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of front of house managers.

   Type of Front Of House Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Front Of House Manager	Food service managers are responsible for the daily operation of restaurants and other establishments that prepare and serve food and beverages. They direct staff to ensure that customers are satisfied with their dining experience, and they manage the business to ensure that it is profitable.	$12-29
   Food And Beverage Supervisor	A Food and Beverage Supervisors role is to make sure that guests food and beverage expectations are being met or exceeded. They supervise all of the issues related to a patrons dining experience, like quality control, staff management, health and safety regulations.	$14-23
   Restaurant Supervisor	A restaurant supervisor supervises all the restaurant's tasks to keep the restaurant running smoothly. Besides controlling the restaurant staff members' work schedules, restaurant supervisors also screen, interview, hire and train restaurant staff members... Show more	$13-24

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Cleanliness
   • Guest Satisfaction
   • Wine
   • Guest Service
   • POS
   • Customer Service
   • FOH
   • Cash Handling
   • Food Safety
   • Fine Dining
   • Inventory Management
   • Guest Relations
   • Payroll
   • Food Preparation

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Plan and manage all windows design and implementations.
   • Manage a dedicate Linux web server; install new vhosts accounts including a cpanel via WHM software.
   • Manage the development of a hybrid Linux desktop deploy to an acquire company to aid in application integration.
   • Manage and full responsible for the daily operation of all bars outlet, main bar, and banquet bar service.
   • Manage all holiday reservations and seating including staffing of all cater events.
   • Manage daily operations of the front-of-the-house functions in the restaurant, including appearance, presentation, customer experience and professional leadership.

   More front of house manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your front of house manager job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A front of house manager can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, front of house managers' average salary in kansas is 47% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level front of house managers 56% less than senior-level front of house managers.
   • Certifications. A front of house manager with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a front of house manager's salary.

   Average front of house manager salary

   $41,163yearly

   $19.79 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level front of house manager salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

   Average front of house manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$61,019	$29
   2	California	$55,200	$27
   3	Pennsylvania	$54,164	$26
   4	Massachusetts	$52,597	$25
   5	Delaware	$51,692	$25
   6	District of Columbia	$51,032	$25
   7	Maryland	$48,409	$23
   8	North Carolina	$48,032	$23
   9	Utah	$46,278	$22
   10	Oklahoma	$44,470	$21
   11	Washington	$43,641	$21
   12	Virginia	$43,167	$21
   13	South Carolina	$42,106	$20
   14	Tennessee	$40,749	$20
   15	Missouri	$40,576	$20
   16	Michigan	$40,353	$19
   17	Florida	$40,316	$19
   18	Illinois	$40,082	$19
   19	Louisiana	$39,764	$19
   20	Colorado	$39,398	$19

   Average front of house manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Cisco	$103,103	$49.57
   2	New York University	$63,978	$30.76
   3	MARTA	$62,251	$29.93
   4	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	$60,794	$29.23
   5	Princeton University	$58,781	$28.26
   6	ViewHouse Eatery	$55,962	$26.90
   7	Texas Roadhouse	$55,599	$26.73	278
   8	St. HOPE	$54,343	$26.13
   9	DoorDash	$50,662	$24.36	10
   10	EHR Systems	$50,553	$24.30
   11	Bar Louie	$49,914	$24.00
   12	VaynerMedia	$49,612	$23.85
   13	Ruth's Chris Steak House	$47,485	$22.83	15
   14	Boqueria Restaurant	$47,376	$22.78	6
   15	Ceres	$47,065	$22.63
   16	Ian	$46,942	$22.57	10
   17	Atria's Restaurant	$46,579	$22.39
   18	Buffalo Wild Wings	$46,574	$22.39	258
   19	Chipotle Mexican Grill	$46,530	$22.37	168
   20	Traditions Spirits	$45,790	$22.01

4. Writing a front of house manager job description

   A job description for a front of house manager role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a front of house manager job description:

   Front of house manager job description example

   Thompson Hospitality is opening a new contemporary steakhouse in Columbus Ohio called CUT132. We're honoring the tradition of the American Steakhouse but cutting out the stuffy formality. Join us to build this new concept that is going to raise the Steaks in Columbus, OH
   Who We Are:
   
   Thompson Hospitality is the nation's largest minority-owned food and facilities management company. Our services include hospitality, full dining and quick service restaurants, campus dining, diversity consultation, facility operations and maintenance management. We are a family-run organization with more than twenty-five years providing services built on our core mission to provide a positive experience to every relationship we are involved in: one guest, one client, one team member at a time. As a fast growing company, we have a growth plan to more than double in size over the next three years. We are looking for team members who are interested in developing their careers to the next level while joining our team of over 4,000 employees, serving clients in over 40 states to include more than 1.9 million guests each year. Thompson Hospitality focuses on three core areas in everything we do:
   Purpose Give back to our communities Celebrate diversity People Do the right thing Treat people the way you want to be treated Always do your best Be accountable for our actions Performance Serve the highest quality food Provide world-class service Maintain flexibility to better serve our clients
   Competitive Benefits:
   Health/Dental/Vision Paid Time Off 401(k), matched up to 4% Short and Long Term Disability Tuition Reimbursement Employee Referral Program Pet Insurance Discounts: Hotels, Travel, Tickets
   We are hiring for the following positions at Cut 132:
   Servers Host Bartenders Line Cooks Dishwashers Prep Cooks
   We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
   
   This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
   Qualifications
   
   #ind1

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find front of house managers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your front of house manager job on Zippia to find and recruit front of house manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit front of house managers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new front of house manager

   Once you've decided on a perfect front of house manager candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new front of house manager. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a front of house manager?